Dear Other Sports, does your ball, bat, or raquet have a mind of it's own?

I honestly think that one of the biggest things that people overlook, is that horseback riding involves horses. It's not all about riding ponies around and around in circles and looking pretty. This sport involves partnership and teamwork with an animal weighing about an average of 1,500 pounds and they are essentially our "equipment" in a way.

Each of these horses have minds of their own which puts equestrian sports on a completely different level than other sports. When looking at a horse, you'll notice that their eyes are typically located on the outsides of their heads and they can see up until the object in front of them is about 5 feet away. Then the object in front of them disappears. This is where teamwork and trust comes into play. When a horse and rider are coming up on a jump, a horse can see until they are about 2 strides away from the obstacle. Then it is up to the rider to communicate with the horse with their legs when it is time to jump. Sometimes the rider tells them to take off too soon and sometimes they tell them too late and the horse either a.) has to rabbit hop over the fence or b.) crash through it. This puts the horse in a predicament. Many horses will be trustworthy enough to listen to the rider and leap....others may simply choose to refuse and catapult their rider over the obstacle instead. This video is an example of what could happen when a rider makes an error.



There are very few sports that require the teamwork with an animal rather than other humans which is a reason why horseback riding should be respected and admired.